Interactive virtual assistant system and method

ABSTRACT

A method, computer program product, and computer system for defining, at a computing device, psychometric data for a user. An interactive virtual assistant, selected from a plurality of interactive virtual assistants, may be provided on the computing device based upon, at least in part, the psychometric data defined for the user. The user may be prompted, via the interactive virtual assistant, with one or more options.

RELATED CASES

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/508,370, filed on 18 May 2017, the contents of which are allincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Virtual assistants are becoming an increasingly common and importantpart of how users access information. The ability for virtual assistantsto understand users and their psychology may improve user interactionand personalization of options and prompts provided by the virtualassistant. Additionally, money causes psychological effects, but how onebehaves with money depends on one's psychology. Yet, current interactivefinancial solutions fail to take psychology into account when promptingusers.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE

In one example implementation, a method, performed by one or morecomputing devices, may include but is not limited to defining, at acomputing device, psychometric data for a user. An interactive virtualassistant, selected from a plurality of interactive virtual assistants,may be provided on the computing device based upon, at least in part,the psychometric data defined for the user. The user may be prompted,via the interactive virtual assistant, with one or more options.

One or more of the following example features may be included. Definingthe psychometric data for the user may include providing one or moreinteractive graphical psychometric tests in a user interface of thecomputing device. The one or more interactive graphical psychometrictests may include one or more slidable user interface featuresconfigured to move along a continuous scale between two end pointsrepresentative of a first level of a psychometric trait and a secondlevel of the psychometric trait. A user may be assigned to one or morepersonality outcomes based upon, at least in part, the one or moreinteractive graphical psychometric tests provided in the user interfaceof the computing device. The interactive virtual assistant may beselected from the plurality of interactive virtual assistants for theuser based upon, at least in part, the psychometric data defined for theuser. Prompting the user, via the interactive virtual assistant, withthe one or more options may include one or more of prompting the user torate one or more financial transactions, prompting the user with one ormore financial savings options, and prompting the user with one or morerecommendations to help alleviate financial stress. The interactivevirtual assistant may be configured to prompt the user with the one ormore financial options via an interactive electronic communicationsession displayed in a user interface of the computing device.

In another example implementation, a computing system may include one ormore processors and one or more memories configured to performoperations that may include but are not limited to defining psychometricdata for a user. An interactive virtual assistant, selected from aplurality of interactive virtual assistants, may be provided on thecomputing device based upon, at least in part, the psychometric datadefined for the user. The user may be prompted, via the interactivevirtual assistant, with one or more options.

One or more of the following example features may be included. Definingthe psychometric data for the user may include providing one or moreinteractive graphical psychometric tests in a user interface of thecomputing device. The one or more interactive graphical psychometrictests may include one or more slidable user interface featuresconfigured to move along a continuous scale between two end pointsrepresentative of a first level of a psychometric trait and a secondlevel of the psychometric trait. A user may be assigned to one or morepersonality outcomes based upon, at least in part, the one or moreinteractive graphical psychometric tests provided in the user interfaceof the computing device. The interactive virtual assistant may beselected from the plurality of interactive virtual assistants for theuser based upon, at least in part, the psychometric data defined for theuser. Prompting the user, via the interactive virtual assistant, withthe one or more options may include one or more of prompting the user torate one or more financial transactions, prompting the user with one ormore financial savings options, and prompting the user with one or morerecommendations to help alleviate financial stress. The interactivevirtual assistant may be configured to prompt the user with the one ormore financial options via an interactive electronic communicationsession displayed in a user interface of the computing device.

In another example implementation, a computer program product may resideon a computer readable storage medium having a plurality of instructionsstored thereon which, when executed across one or more processors, maycause at least a portion of the one or more processors to performoperations that may include but are not limited to defining psychometricdata for a user. An interactive virtual assistant, selected from aplurality of interactive virtual assistants, may be provided on thecomputing device based upon, at least in part, the psychometric datadefined for the user. The user may be prompted, via the interactivevirtual assistant, with one or more options.

One or more of the following example features may be included. Definingthe psychometric data for the user may include providing one or moreinteractive graphical psychometric tests in a user interface of thecomputing device. The one or more interactive graphical psychometrictests may include one or more slidable user interface featuresconfigured to move along a continuous scale between two end pointsrepresentative of a first level of a psychometric trait and a secondlevel of the psychometric trait. A user may be assigned to one or morepersonality outcomes based upon, at least in part, the one or moreinteractive graphical psychometric tests provided in the user interfaceof the computing device. The interactive virtual assistant may beselected from the plurality of interactive virtual assistants for theuser based upon, at least in part, the psychometric data defined for theuser. Prompting the user, via the interactive virtual assistant, withthe one or more options may include one or more of prompting the user torate one or more financial transactions, prompting the user with one ormore financial savings options, and prompting the user with one or morerecommendations to help alleviate financial stress. The interactivevirtual assistant may be configured to prompt the user with the one ormore financial options via an interactive electronic communicationsession displayed in a user interface of the computing device.

The details of one or more example implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other possible examplefeatures and/or possible example advantages will become apparent fromthe description, the drawings, and the claims. Some implementations maynot have those possible example features and/or possible exampleadvantages, and such possible example features and/or possible exampleadvantages may not necessarily be required of some implementations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an example diagrammatic view of an interactive virtualassistant process coupled to an example distributed computing networkaccording to one or more example implementations of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an example flowchart of an interactive virtual assistantprocess according to one or more example implementations of thedisclosure;

FIG. 3 is an example diagrammatic view of an interactive graphicalpsychometric test displayed by an interactive virtual assistant processaccording to one or more example implementations of the disclosure

FIG. 4 is an example diagrammatic view of personality outcomes assignedfor various users and associated financial characteristics for thepersonality outcomes according to one or more example implementations ofthe disclosure;

FIG. 5 is an example diagrammatic view of one or more cluster groups ofusers according to one or more example implementations of thedisclosure;

FIG. 6 is an example diagrammatic view of various interactive virtualassistants that may be provided by an interactive virtual assistantprocess to a user according to one or more example implementations ofthe disclosure;

FIG. 7 is an example diagrammatic view of example prompt including oneor more financial savings options provided by an interactive virtualassistant process according to one or more example implementations ofthe disclosure;

FIG. 8 is an example diagrammatic view of an example prompt including aprompt to rate one or more financial transactions provided by aninteractive virtual assistant process according to one or more exampleimplementations of the disclosure;

FIG. 9 is an example diagrammatic view of an example TIPI ten-itemquestionnaire utilized by an interactive virtual assistant processaccording to one or more example implementations of the disclosure;

FIG. 10 is an example diagrammatic view of an example PTSD Checklistutilized by an interactive virtual assistant process according to one ormore example implementations of the disclosure; and

FIG. 11 is an example diagrammatic view of a computer of FIG. 1according to one or more example implementations of the disclosure.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION System Overview:

In some implementations, the present disclosure may be embodied as amethod, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, in someimplementations, the present disclosure may take the form of an entirelyhardware implementation, an entirely software implementation (includingfirmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an implementationcombining software and hardware aspects that may all generally bereferred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, insome implementations, the present disclosure may take the form of acomputer program product on a computer-usable storage medium havingcomputer-usable program code embodied in the medium.

In some implementations, any suitable computer usable or computerreadable medium (or media) may be utilized. The computer readable mediummay be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storagemedium. The computer-usable, or computer-readable, storage medium(including a storage device associated with a computing device or clientelectronic device) may be, for example, but is not limited to, anelectronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, orsemiconductor system, apparatus, device, or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of thecomputer-readable medium may include the following: an electricalconnection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, ahard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), anerasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), anoptical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), anoptical storage device, a digital versatile disk (DVD), a static randomaccess memory (SRAM), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanicallyencoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groovehaving instructions recorded thereon, a media such as those supportingthe internet or an intranet, or a magnetic storage device. Note that thecomputer-usable or computer-readable medium could even be a suitablemedium upon which the program is stored, scanned, compiled, interpreted,or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and thenstored in a computer memory. In the context of the present disclosure, acomputer-usable or computer-readable, storage medium may be any tangiblemedium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connectionwith the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

In some implementations, a computer readable signal medium may include apropagated data signal with computer readable program code embodiedtherein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. In someimplementations, such a propagated signal may take any of a variety offorms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or anysuitable combination thereof. In some implementations, the computerreadable program code may be transmitted using any appropriate medium,including but not limited to the internet, wireline, optical fibercable, RF, etc. In some implementations, a computer readable signalmedium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computerreadable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, ortransport a program for use by or in connection with an instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device.

In some implementations, computer program code for carrying outoperations of the present disclosure may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Java®, Smalltalk, C++ or the like.Java® and all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks orregistered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. However, thecomputer program code for carrying out operations of the presentdisclosure may also be written in conventional procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language, PASCAL, or similarprogramming languages, as well as in scripting languages such asJavascript, PERL, or Python. The program code may execute entirely onthe user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computerthrough a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or theconnection may be made to an external computer (for example, through theinternet using an Internet Service Provider). In some implementations,electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logiccircuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other hardwareaccelerators, micro-controller units (MCUs), or programmable logicarrays (PLAs) may execute the computer readable programinstructions/code by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present disclosure.

In some implementations, the flowchart and block diagrams in the figuresillustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possibleimplementations of apparatus (systems), methods and computer programproducts according to various implementations of the present disclosure.Each block in the flowchart and/or block diagrams, and combinations ofblocks in the flowchart and/or block diagrams, may represent a module,segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executablecomputer program instructions for implementing the specified logicalfunction(s)/act(s). These computer program instructions may be providedto a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer,or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine,such that the computer program instructions, which may execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create the ability to implement one or more of thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks or combinations thereof. It should be noted that, in someimplementations, the functions noted in the block(s) may occur out ofthe order noted in the figures (or combined or omitted). For example,two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved.

In some implementations, these computer program instructions may also bestored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablememory produce an article of manufacture including instruction meanswhich implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks or combinations thereof.

In some implementations, the computer program instructions may also beloaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatusto cause a series of operational steps to be performed (not necessarilyin a particular order) on the computer or other programmable apparatusto produce a computer implemented process such that the instructionswhich execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus providesteps for implementing the functions/acts (not necessarily in aparticular order) specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks or combinations thereof.

Referring now to the example implementation of FIG. 1, there is showninteractive virtual assistant process 10 that may reside on and may beexecuted by a computer (e.g., computer 12), which may be connected to anetwork (e.g., network 14) (e.g., the internet or a local area network).Examples of computer 12 (and/or one or more of the client electronicdevices noted below) may include, but are not limited to, a storagesystem (e.g., a Network Attached Storage (NAS) system, a Storage AreaNetwork (SAN)), a personal computer(s), a laptop computer(s), mobilecomputing device(s), a server computer, a series of server computers, amainframe computer(s), or a computing cloud(s). As is known in the art,a SAN may include one or more of the client electronic devices,including a RAID device and a NAS system. In some implementations, eachof the aforementioned may be generally described as a computing device.In certain implementations, a computing device may be a physical orvirtual device. In many implementations, a computing device may be anydevice capable of performing operations, such as a dedicated processor,a portion of a processor, a virtual processor, a portion of a virtualprocessor, portion of a virtual device, or a virtual device. In someimplementations, a processor may be a physical processor or a virtualprocessor. In some implementations, a virtual processor may correspondto one or more parts of one or more physical processors. In someimplementations, the instructions/logic may be distributed and executedacross one or more processors, virtual or physical, to execute theinstructions/logic. Computer 12 may execute an operating system, forexample, but not limited to, Microsoft® Windows®; Mac® OS X®; Red Hat®Linux®, Windows® Mobile, Chrome OS, Blackberry OS, Fire OS, or a customoperating system. (Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks ofMicrosoft Corporation in the United States, other countries or both; Macand OS X are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the United States,other countries or both; Red Hat is a registered trademark of Red HatCorporation in the United States, other countries or both; and Linux isa registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the United States, othercountries or both).

In some implementations, as will be discussed below in greater detail,an interactive virtual assistant process, such as interactive virtualassistant process 10 of FIG. 1, may include defining, at a computingdevice, psychometric data for a user. An interactive virtual assistant,selected from a plurality of interactive virtual assistants, may beprovided on the computing device based upon, at least in part, thepsychometric data defined for the user. The user may be prompted, viathe interactive virtual assistant, with one or more options.

In some implementations, the instruction sets and subroutines ofinteractive virtual assistant process 10, which may be stored on storagedevice, such as storage device 16, coupled to computer 12, may beexecuted by one or more processors and one or more memory architecturesincluded within computer 12. In some implementations, storage device 16may include but is not limited to: a hard disk drive; all forms of flashmemory storage devices; a tape drive; an optical drive; a RAID array (orother array); a random access memory (RAM); a read-only memory (ROM); orcombination thereof. In some implementations, storage device 16 may beorganized as an extent, an extent pool, a RAID extent (e.g., an example4D+1P R5, where the RAID extent may include, e.g., five storage deviceextents that may be allocated from, e.g., five different storagedevices), a mapped RAID (e.g., a collection of RAID extents), orcombination thereof.

In some implementations, network 14 may be connected to one or moresecondary networks (e.g., network 18), examples of which may include butare not limited to: a local area network; a wide area network; or anintranet, for example.

In some implementations, computer 12 may include a data store, such as adatabase (e.g., relational database, object-oriented database,triplestore database, etc.) and may be located within any suitablememory location, such as storage device 16 coupled to computer 12. Insome implementations, data, metadata, information, etc. describedthroughout the present disclosure may be stored in the data store. Insome implementations, computer 12 may utilize any known databasemanagement system such as, but not limited to, DB2, in order to providemulti-user access to one or more databases, such as the above notedrelational database. In some implementations, the data store may also bea custom database, such as, for example, a flat file database or an XMLdatabase. In some implementations, any other form(s) of a data storagestructure and/or organization may also be used. In some implementations,interactive virtual assistant process 10 may be a component of the datastore, a standalone application that interfaces with the above noteddata store and/or an applet/application that is accessed via clientapplications 22, 24, 26, 28. In some implementations, the above noteddata store may be, in whole or in part, distributed in a cloud computingtopology. In this way, computer 12 and storage device 16 may refer tomultiple devices, which may also be distributed throughout the network.

In some implementations, computer 12 may execute a client application(e.g., client application 20), examples of which may include, but arenot limited to, e.g., financial applications, a website application, abanking application, a client application (e.g., client account data,spreadsheets, etc.), or other application that allows for accessing auser's financial information and/or transferring a user's funds (e.g.,digital currency, tangible currency, stocks, bonds, interests, etc.). Insome implementations, interactive virtual assistant process 10 and/orclient application 20 may be accessed via one or more of clientapplications 22, 24, 26, 28. In some implementations, interactivevirtual assistant process 10 may be a standalone application, or may bean applet/application/script/extension that may interact with and/or beexecuted within client application 20, a component of client application20, and/or one or more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28. In someimplementations, client application 20 may be a standalone application,or may be an applet/application/script/extension that may interact withand/or be executed within interactive virtual assistant process 10, acomponent of interactive virtual assistant process 10, and/or one ormore of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28. In some implementations, oneor more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28 may be a standaloneapplication, or may be an applet/application/script/extension that mayinteract with and/or be executed within and/or be a component ofinteractive virtual assistant process 10 and/or client application 20.Examples of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28 may include, but are notlimited to, e.g., financial applications, a website application, abanking application, a client application (e.g., client account data,spreadsheets, etc.), or other application that allows for accessing auser's financial information and/or transferring a user's funds (e.g.,digital currency, tangible currency, stocks, bonds, interests, etc., astandard and/or mobile web browser, an email application (e.g., an emailclient application), a textual and/or a graphical user interface, acustomized web browser, a plugin, an Application Programming Interface(API), or a custom application. The instruction sets and subroutines ofclient applications 22, 24, 26, 28, which may be stored on storagedevices 30, 32, 34, 36, coupled to client electronic devices 38, 40, 42,44, may be executed by one or more processors and one or more memoryarchitectures incorporated into client electronic devices 38, 40, 42,44.

In some implementations, one or more of storage devices 30, 32, 34, 36,may include but are not limited to: hard disk drives; flash drives, tapedrives; optical drives; RAID arrays; random access memories (RAM); andread-only memories (ROM). Examples of client electronic devices 38, 40,42, 44 (and/or computer 12) may include, but are not limited to, apersonal computer (e.g., client electronic device 38), a laptop computer(e.g., client electronic device 40), a smart/data-enabled, cellularphone (e.g., client electronic device 42), a notebook computer (e.g.,client electronic device 44), a tablet, a server, a television, a smarttelevision, a media (e.g., video, photo, etc.) capturing device, and adedicated network device. Client electronic devices 38, 40, 42, 44 mayeach execute an operating system, examples of which may include but arenot limited to, Android™, Apple® iOS®, Mac® OS X®; Red Hat® Linux®,Windows® Mobile, Chrome OS, Blackberry OS, Fire OS, or a customoperating system.

In some implementations, one or more of client applications 22, 24, 26,28 may be configured to effectuate some or all of the functionality ofinteractive virtual assistant process 10 (and vice versa). Accordingly,in some implementations, interactive virtual assistant process 10 may bea purely server-side application, a purely client-side application, or ahybrid server-side/client-side application that is cooperativelyexecuted by one or more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28 and/orinteractive virtual assistant process 10.

In some implementations, one or more of client applications 22, 24, 26,28 may be configured to effectuate some or all of the functionality ofclient application 20 (and vice versa). Accordingly, in someimplementations, client application 20 may be a purely server-sideapplication, a purely client-side application, or a hybridserver-side/client-side application that is cooperatively executed byone or more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28 and/or clientapplication 20. As one or more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28,interactive virtual assistant process 10, and client application 20,taken singly or in any combination, may effectuate some or all of thesame functionality, any description of effectuating such functionalityvia one or more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28, interactivevirtual assistant process 10, client application 20, or combinationthereof, and any described interaction(s) between one or more of clientapplications 22, 24, 26, 28, interactive virtual assistant process 10,client application 20, or combination thereof to effectuate suchfunctionality, should be taken as an example only and not to limit thescope of the disclosure.

In some implementations, one or more of users 46, 48, 50, 52 may accesscomputer 12 and interactive virtual assistant process 10 (e.g., usingone or more of client electronic devices 38, 40, 42, 44) directlythrough network 14 or through secondary network 18. Further, computer 12may be connected to network 14 through secondary network 18, asillustrated with phantom link line 54. Interactive virtual assistantprocess 10 may include one or more user interfaces, such as browsers andtextual or graphical user interfaces, through which users 46, 48, 50, 52may access interactive virtual assistant process 10.

In some implementations, the various client electronic devices may bedirectly or indirectly coupled to network 14 (or network 18). Forexample, client electronic device 38 is shown directly coupled tonetwork 14 via a hardwired network connection. Further, clientelectronic device 44 is shown directly coupled to network 18 via ahardwired network connection. Client electronic device 40 is shownwirelessly coupled to network 14 via wireless communication channel 56established between client electronic device 40 and wireless accesspoint (i.e., WAP) 58, which is shown directly coupled to network 14. WAP58 may be, for example, an IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n,802.11ac, Wi-Fi®, RFID, and/or Bluetooth™ (including Bluetooth™ LowEnergy) device that is capable of establishing wireless communicationchannel 56 between client electronic device 40 and WAP 58. Clientelectronic device 42 is shown wirelessly coupled to network 14 viawireless communication channel 60 established between client electronicdevice 42 and cellular network/bridge 62, which is shown by exampledirectly coupled to network 14.

In some implementations, some or all of the IEEE 802.11x specificationsmay use Ethernet protocol and carrier sense multiple access withcollision avoidance (i.e., CSMA/CA) for path sharing. The various802.11x specifications may use phase-shift keying (i.e., PSK) modulationor complementary code keying (i.e., CCK) modulation, for example.Bluetooth™ (including Bluetooth™ Low Energy) is a telecommunicationsindustry specification that allows, e.g., mobile phones, computers,smart phones, and other electronic devices to be interconnected using ashort-range wireless connection. Other forms of interconnection (e.g.,Near Field Communication (NFC)) may also be used.

In some implementations, various I/O requests (e.g., I/O request 15) maybe sent from, e.g., client applications 22, 24, 26, 28 to, e.g.,computer 12. Examples of I/O request 15 may include but are not limitedto, data write requests (e.g., a request that content be written tocomputer 12) and data read requests (e.g., a request that content beread from computer 12).

As will be discussed below, interactive virtual assistant process 10 mayat least help, e.g., improve financial and structured media producttechnology processes, which are necessarily rooted in computertechnology in order to overcome an example and non-limiting problemspecifically arising in the realm of machine learning based generationof financial and structured media products). It will be appreciated thatthe computer processes described throughout are not considered to bewell-understood, routine, and conventional functions.

The Interactive Virtual Assistant Process:

As discussed above and referring also at least to the exampleimplementations of FIGS. 2-11, interactive virtual assistant process 10may define 200, at a computing device, psychometric data for a user.Interactive virtual assistant process 10 may provide 202 an interactivevirtual assistant, selected from a plurality of interactive virtualassistants, on the computing device based upon, at least in part, thepsychometric data defined for the user. Interactive virtual assistantprocess 10 may prompt 204 the user, via the interactive virtualassistant, with one or more options.

As will be discussed in greater detail below, interactive virtualassistant process 10 may utilize psychometric data defined for a user toselect and provide each user with an interactive virtual assistant thatspeaks to, encourages, and motivates the user. For example and as willbe discussed in greater detail below, interactive virtual assistantprocess 10 may provide an interactive virtual assistant to the user andprompt the user, via the interactive virtual assistant to rate theirfinancial transactions and may surface the types of transactions thatmakes the user happiest, the user's trends and habits, where the usercan cut back without sacrificing happiness, what types of spending ismaking their peers happy and where they can shift/modify their spendingto increase happiness (i.e. spending less on things that make them sad).In some implementations, interactive virtual assistant process 10 mayprompt, via the interactive virtual assistant, the user with financialsavings options that provide an easy way for the user to save money eachday that requires little change to existing habits. Interactive virtualassistant process 10, via the interactive virtual assistant, may alsoidentify larger savings opportunities (i.e. a personal loan for creditcard debt elimination) and may prompt the user with these options in away that most resonates with their psychological makeup.

In some implementations, interactive virtual assistant process 10 maydefine 200, at a computing device, psychometric data for a user.Psychometric data may generally include data related to objectivemeasurement of skills and knowledge, abilities, attitudes, personalitytraits, and educational achievement of an individual. As will bediscussed in greater detail below, the ability to effectively and simplydefine psychometric data for a user may enable interactive virtualassistant process 10 to provide 202 an interactive virtual assistantthat matches or is otherwise compatible with the user's personality. Insome implementations, interactive virtual assistant process 10 maydefine psychometric data for a user based upon, at least in part, theBig Five Personality Inventory. The Big Five Personality Inventory maybe used to assess individual response levels related to the five coredimensions of personality that may include, e.g., openness,conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Thesedimensions may be core traits that remain largely unchanged throughoutan individual's life. Personality traits related to openness mayinclude, e.g., imagination and insight. Personality traits related toconscientiousness may include, e.g., a high level of thoughtfulness,good impulse control, and goal-directed behavior. Personality traitsrelated to extraversion may include, e.g., excitability, sociability,talkativeness, assertiveness, and a high degree of emotionalexpressiveness. Personality traits related to agreeableness may include,e.g., trust, altruism, kindness, affection, and other pro-socialbehaviors. Personality traits related to neuroticism may include, e.g.,anxiety, moodiness, irritability, and sadness. While the Big FivePersonality Inventory has been described, it will be appreciated thatother psychometric data, such as different classifications of a user'spersonality may be define 200 via interactive virtual assistant process10 within the scope of the present disclosure.

In some implementations and referring also to FIG. 3, defining 200 thepsychometric data for the user may include providing 206 one or moreinteractive graphical psychometric tests in a user interface of thecomputing device. As shown in FIG. 3, interactive virtual assistantprocess 10 may provide 206 an interactive graphical psychometric test ina user interface of a computing device (e.g., client electronic device42). While the computing device (e.g., client electronic device 42) isrepresented as a mobile device, it will be appreciated that anycomputing device (as described above) may be used within the scope ofthe present disclosure. Additionally, while a single graphicalpsychometric test is shown in the user interface of the computingdevice, multiple graphical psychometric tests are possible and withinthe scope of the present disclosure. In the example, the graphicalpsychometric test (e.g., graphical psychometric test 300) is representedin an hourglass shape, where the hourglass may correspond to acharacteristic of psychometric data for a user. In some implementations,graphical psychometric test (e.g., graphical psychometric test 300) maycorrespond to one dimension of the Big Five personality inventory.

In some implementations, the assessment items of the graphicalpsychometric test (e.g., graphical psychometric test 300) may be basedupon the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI), which was designed toassess the traits defined by the Big Five Personality Inventory. As willbe described in greater detail below, the evaluation results derivedfrom users interacting with the graphical psychometric test (e.g.,graphical psychometric test 300) may correlate well with the evaluationresults derived from the TIPI ten-item questionnaire, as shown in FIG.9. However, one of the example and non-limiting advantages of using thehourglass shaped items of the graphical psychometric test (e.g.,graphical psychometric test 300), as shown in FIG. 3, is that users andtheir psychometric data may be defined 200 quickly, efficiently, andaccurately compared to other personality or psychometric tests.Additionally, the experience provided in the graphical psychometric test(e.g., graphical psychometric test 300) may be more visually appealing,engaging, intuitive, and attention grabbing for the user. The TIPI asshown in FIG. 9 is more reliant upon text, which can be tedious and lesscompelling than the visual representations of the hourglass shapes.Further, the TIPI ten-item questionnaire may be limited to seven answeroptions that are discrete in nature. For example, in each of the TIPIquestions, the user is asked to rank himself/herself according to, e.g.,seven, discrete levels—disagree strong, disagree moderately, disagree alittle, neither agree/disagree, agree a little, agree moderately, andagree strongly. In contrast, each graphical psychometric test (e.g.,graphical psychometric test 300) may allow a user to click on acontinuous scale, thereby providing the user a much finer level ofgranularity of choices to choose from.

In some implementations, defining 200 the psychometric data for a usermay include instructing or prompting a user (e.g., on the user interfaceof client electronic device 42) to “Rate yourself on the scales below.Slide the bar on the hourglass to identify where you land between eachset of traits.” In some implementations, interactive virtual assistantprocess 10 may use one or more graphical psychometric tests to define200 the psychometric data for a user. For example and as shown in FIG.3, interactive virtual assistant process 10 may provide e.g., fivegraphical psychometric tests (e.g., graphical psychometric test 300) ina sequential order. That is, a user may sequentially interact with eachgraphical psychometric test individually. However, it will beappreciated that more or fewer graphical psychometric tests may beutilized.

In some implementations, the one or more interactive graphicalpsychometric tests include one or more slidable user interface featuresconfigured to move along a continuous scale between two end pointsrepresentative of a first level of a psychometric trait and a secondlevel of the psychometric trait. For example, graphical psychometrictest (e.g., graphical psychometric test 300) may include a slidable userinterface feature (e.g., bar 302) configured to move along a continuousscale of response levels (e.g., response level 304) with pixel sizegranularity. For example, a selection near the top of an individualgraphical psychometric test may denote a first level of a psychometrictrait 306 (e.g., a high level of the corresponding Big Five PersonalityInventory trait, conscientiousness, neuroticism, agreeableness,extraversion, or openness) and a selection near the bottom may representa second level of the psychometric trait 308 (e.g., a low level of agiven trait). In some implementations, responses near the center maysuggests that the user's personality lies somewhere between the extremesof the personality dimension. In some implementations, the graphicalpsychometric test (e.g., graphical psychometric test 300) may be anhourglass shape that is wider at the top base and at the bottom base,but narrower in the middle. This characteristic may help a user tovisualize the middle of the object, which may represents a neutraltrait. One of the advantages of this shape is that it gives the user abetter sense perceptually of how far or how close he is associatinghimself with a particular trait. Graphical psychometric test (e.g.,graphical psychometric test 300) may also be symmetric along the x-axisand the y-axis. These characteristics visually invite the user to clickalong a centered vertical line that divides the hourglass shape equally.One of the advantages of the graphical psychometric test being shapedlike an hourglass as shown in FIG. 3 is that it encourages moreconsistent user behavior when the user is interacting with the graphicalobjects.

In some embodiments and as discussed above, defining 200 psychometricdata of the user may include providing one or more interactive graphicalpsychometric tests in a user interface of the computing device. In someimplementations, five graphical interactive psychometric tests may beprovided 206 to the user. In some implementations, a first interactivegraphical psychometric test may relate to the Big Five dimension ofconscientiousness. In the example, at the top of the interactivegraphical psychometric test 300 may be the words “Tidy” and “Prepared”representative a first level of conscientiousness 306 while at thebottom of the interactive graphical psychometric test 300, the words“Disorganized” and “Carefree” appear representative a second level ofconscientiousness 308. If a user clicks toward the top of theinteractive graphical psychometric test in this case, they are reportingto be characterized by a high level of conscientiousness, whereas thebottom of the interactive graphical psychometric test 300 would denotelow levels of conscientiousness.

In some implementations, a second interactive graphical psychometrictest may relate to neuroticism. A selection near the top of theinteractive graphical psychometric test, closer to the words “Anxious”and “Dramatic” may represent a high level of neuroticism, or lowemotional stability. A selection near the bottom of the interactivegraphical psychometric test, near the words “Relaxed” and “Calm” maydenote a low level of neuroticism, or high emotional stability.

In some implementations, a third interactive graphical psychometric testmay relate to the Big Five dimension of agreeableness, with the words“Cooperative” and “Accepting” at the top of the interactive graphicalpsychometric test and “Questioning” and “Deliberate” at the bottom. Aselection near the top of the interactive graphical psychometric testmay represent a high level of agreeableness, while a selection near thebottom may represent a low level of agreeableness.

In some implementations, a fourth interactive graphical psychometrictest may represent the extraversion trait of the Big Five PersonalityInventory. The top of the interactive graphical psychometric test maycontains the words “Engaging” and “Energetic” while the bottom may state“Thoughtful” and “Reserved.” A selection closer to the top of theinteractive graphical psychometric test may represent a high level ofextraversion, whereas a selection toward the bottom may indicate lowlevels of extraversion, or high levels of introversion.

In some implementations, the fifth interactive graphical psychometrictest may assess levels of openness to experience. Selections at the topof the interactive graphical psychometric test, closer to the words“Creative” and “Ingenious” may indicate a high level of openness,whereas selections near the bottom of the interactive graphicalpsychometric test near the words “Conventional” and “Concrete” mayrepresent low levels of openness.

In some implementations, interactive virtual assistant process 10 mayinclude assigning 208 a user to one or more personality outcomes basedupon, at least in part, the one or more interactive graphicalpsychometric tests provided in the user interface of the computingdevice. For example, when a user completes at least a portion of the oneor more interactive graphical psychometric tests, the psychometric datafor the user may be defined and can therefore be conducted within ashort period of time. In some implementations, the responses to at leasta portion (e.g., one or more of) the one or more interactive graphicalpsychometric tests may be used to assign 208 the user to, e.g., one often, possible personality outcomes. Each of the ten personality outcomesmay be defined primarily by the personality trait in which the userreports to differ most from the rest of the member population.Therefore, it is the personality trait by which the user reports beingthe most distinctive and unique. While ten personality outcomes havebeen described, it will be appreciated that any number of personalityincomes are within the scope of the present disclosure.

For example, psychometric data defined 200 primarily by high levels ofconscientiousness may be assigned 208 by interactive virtual assistantprocess 10 to a personality outcome referred to as the “Architect,”while users with low levels of conscientiousness may be assigned 208 byinteractive virtual assistant process 10 to the “Free Spirit”personality group. If the user's most unique trait is high levels ofemotional stability, then that user may be assigned 208 by interactivevirtual assistant process 10 to the “Rock” personality, while low levelsof emotional stability define the “Spark.” In some implementations, auser reporting his/her most distinctive trait to be high levels ofagreeableness may be assigned 208 by interactive virtual assistantprocess 10 to the “Ambassador” personality outcome and low levels ofagreeableness may result in an assignment 208 of the user by interactivevirtual assistant process 10 to the “Contrarian” personality outcome.Highly extroverted users may be assigned 208 by interactive virtualassistant process 10 to the “Storyteller” group, while distinctiveintroverts may be assigned 208 by interactive virtual assistant process10 to the “Oasis” personality group. Finally, those most defined by highlevels of openness to experience may be assigned 208 by interactivevirtual assistant process 10 to the “Adventurer” personality, and thosewith low openness to experience may be assigned 208 to the “Guardian”personality group.

As will be discussed in greater detail below, the assignment 208 of theuser by interactive virtual assistant process 10 may provide valuableinsights into the financial personality of a user. For example andreferring also to FIG. 4, the one or more personality outcomes may becorrelated or mapped to financial characteristics associated with theuser. In some implementations, by defining the one or more personalityoutcomes for a user, interactive virtual assistant process 10 may promptthe user, via the interactive virtual assistant, with one or moreoptions to help the user avoid financial difficulties. In this mannerand as will be discussed in greater detail below, the personalizednature of the interactive virtual assistant may be configured to help auser address financial or other difficulties that may result due to thepsychometric traits of the user.

In some embodiments, a personality outcome assignment may be determinedas shown below:

If MaxScale=HighConscientiousScale then return “Architect”If MaxScale=LowConscientiousScale then return “Free Spirit”If MaxScale=HighOpenScale then return “Adventurer”If MaxScale=LowOpenScale then return “Guardian”If MaxScale=HighNeuroticScale then return “Spark”If MaxScale=LowNeuroticScale then return “Rock”If MaxScale=HighExtraversionScale then return “Storyteller”If MaxScale=LowExtraversionScale then return “Oasis”If MaxScale=HighAgreeableScale then return “Ambassador”If MaxScale=LowAgreeableScale then return “Contrarian”

Where:

-   -   MaxScale=maximum value from array {HighConscientiousScale,        LowConscientiousScale, HighOpenScale, LowOpenScale,        HighNeuroticScale, LowNeuroticScale, HighExtraversionScale,        LowExtraversionScale, HighAgreeableScale, LowAgreeableScale}    -   HighConscientiousScale=maximum between (HourglassC−ConMed) or 0    -   LowConscientiousScale=maximum between (ConMed−HourglassC) or 0    -   HighOpenScale=maximum between (HourglassO−OpenMed) or 0    -   LowOpenScale=maximum between (OpenMed−HourglassO) or 0    -   HighNeuroticScale=maximum between (HourglassN−NeurMed) or 0    -   LowNeuroticScale=maximum between (NeurMed−HourglassN) or 0    -   HighExtraversionScale=maximum between (HourglassE−ExtraMed) or 0    -   LowExtraversionScale=maximum between (ExtraMed−HourglassE) or 0    -   HighAgreeableScale=maximum between (HourglassA−AgreeMed) or 0    -   LowAgreeableScale=maximum between (AgreeMed−HourglassA) or 0    -   HourGlassO=score corresponding to an interactive graphical        psychometric test related to openness    -   HourGlasssC=score corresponding to an interactive graphical        psychometric test related to conscientiousness    -   HourGlassE=score corresponding to an interactive graphical        psychometric test related to extraversion    -   HourGlassA=score corresponding to an interactive graphical        psychometric test related to agreeableness    -   HourGlassN=score corresponding to an interactive graphical        psychometric test related to neuroticism    -   OpenMed=population median score corresponding to an interactive        graphical psychometric test related to openness    -   ConMed=population median score corresponding to an interactive        graphical psychometric test related to conscientiousness    -   ExtraMed=population median score corresponding to an interactive        graphical psychometric test related to extraversion    -   AgreeMed=population median score corresponding to an interactive        graphical psychometric test related to agreeableness    -   NeurMed=population median score corresponding to an interactive        graphical psychometric test related neuroticism

In some implementations, interactive virtual assistant process 10 mayprovide 202 an interactive virtual assistant, selected from a pluralityof interactive virtual assistants, on the computing device based upon,at least in part, the psychometric data defined for the user. Aninteractive virtual assistant may generally include a software agentthat can perform tasks or services for an individual. In someimplementations, interactive virtual assistant may interact with a uservia text, voice, and/or through images or video. In some implementationsand as will be discussed in greater detail below, the interactivevirtual assistant may ask questions to better understand the individualuser and/or the user may ask questions of the interactive virtualassistant to which the interactive virtual assistant may prompt 206 theuser with one or more options. As the interactive virtual assistanthelps the user, the user is also providing information that will makehis/her interactive virtual assistant more personalized. For example,the interactive virtual assistant may learn over time, based onpersonality, how the user spends his/her money, what makes the userhappy, when the user feels stressed, what the user's goals are, andmore. In some implementations and as will be discussed in greater detailbelow, interactive virtual assistant process 10 may provide aninteractive virtual assistant that is able to combine the user'spsychological traits, bank and credit card account transactions, credithistory, and life stage information to understand the user's completefinancial picture and provide personalized options and/or suggestionsfor the user's benefit.

In some implementations, providing the interactive virtual assistant mayinclude selecting 210 the interactive virtual assistant, from theplurality of interactive virtual assistants, for the user based upon, atleast in part, the psychometric data defined 200 for the user. Asdiscussed above and in some implementations, various interactive virtualassistants may be provided by interactive virtual assistant process 10.However, users may not always respond favorably or at all to a genericor arbitrary interactive virtual assistant. For example, a user'spersonality or psychometric data may heavily influence how likely theuser is to respond favorably to an option or suggestion. The Applicanthas observed that users are especially emotionally sensitive or unsurewhen making financial decisions or responding to financial options. Assuch, interactive virtual assistant process 10 may provide 202 aninteractive virtual assistant, selected 210 from a plurality ofinteractive virtual assistants, on the computing device based upon thepsychometric data defined 200 for the user. In some implementations,interactive virtual assistants may be initially selected 210 based onresponses to the above noted psychometric tests (e.g., interactivegraphical psychometric tests) related to one or more of the Big Fivepersonality traits. In some implementations, the interactive virtualassistant may be selected 210 for the user based upon, at least in part,the user's psychometric data defined 200 for the Big Five personalitytraits of conscientiousness, neuroticism, and extraversion. For exampleand as observed by the Applicant, a k-means cluster analysis wasutilized to uncover patterns of response among these three personalitytraits among all users who completed the one or more interactivegraphical psychometric tests described above. A pattern emerged and wasvalidated with employment of a k-fold cross-validation.Conscientiousness, neuroticism, and extraversion were the personalitytraits that led to the most stable and evenly spread clusters of userpersonalities. As will be discussed in greater detail below, these threepsychometric traits (e.g., conscientiousness, neuroticism, andextraversion) may represent the traits that are most characteristic ofpositive or negative financial outcomes and social interaction style,providing a satisfactory basis for personalization opportunities for theinteractive virtual assistants.

Referring also to FIG. 5 and in some implementations, it has beenobserved by the Applicant that four clusters of personality traits alongthe three dimensions of conscientiousness, neuroticism, andextraversion, may be the most stable across user segments. In someimplementations, an interactive virtual assistant may be assigned basedupon, at least in part, a distance from cluster medians along saidpersonality dimensions. For example, while personality outcomes may beassigned 208 based upon, at least in part, the most distinct personalitytrait response, the interactive virtual assistant process 10 may select210 or otherwise assign a interactive virtual assistant from a pluralityof interactive virtual assistants based upon, at least in part, thespecific constellation of responses along the three noted personalitydimensions of conscientiousness, neuroticism, and extraversion.

In some implementations and referring also to the example of FIG. 5,INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL ASSISTANT PROCESS 10 may select 210 an interactivevirtual assistant for the user from the plurality of interactive virtualassistants based upon, at least in part, personality dimensions ofconscientiousness, neuroticism, and extraversion defined for the user.In some implementations, interactive virtual assistant process 10 mayinclude and/or use a first machine learning algorithm described as afour-level extreme gradient boosting classifier with a softmax learningparameter to perform multi-class classifications. In someimplementations, the extreme gradient boosting classifier with a softmaxlearning parameter may be trained on a subset of the full user pool ofusers who have completed the one or more interactive graphicalpsychometric tests and may be tested on a set of users who were held outof training of the model. In this manner, an interactive virtualassistant may be assigned by determination of the maximum probability ofcluster assignment related to the personality traits ofconscientiousness, neuroticism, and extraversion, which may representthe inputs to the model.

In some implementations, interactive virtual assistant process 10 mayselect 210 the interactive virtual assistant from the plurality ofinteractive virtual assistants by a second machine learning algorithmwhere retraining of the machine learning model described above is deemednecessary. In this case, cluster assignment may be based upon, at leastin part, a determination of the minimum absolute value distance from themedians of the personality traits associated with each cluster. Forexample, if the minimum absolute value distance is determined to be thedistance from a first interactive virtual assistant median alongconscientiousness, neuroticism, and extraversion scales, then the firstinteractive virtual assistant may be selected and provided to the user.

A more detailed description of the above is provided below:

If MinDistance=InteractiveVirtualAssistant1Distance then return“InteractiveVirtualAssistant 1”If MinDistance=InteractiveVirtualAssistant2Distance then return“InteractiveVirtualAssistant 2”If MinDistance=InteractiveVirtualAssistant3Distance then return“InteractiveVirtualAssistant 3”If MinDistance=InteractiveVirtualAssistant4Distance then return“InteractiveVirtualAssistant 4”where

-   -   MinDistance=Select minimum value from array        {InteractiveVirtualAssistant1Distance,        InteractiveVirtualAssistant2Distance,        InteractiveVirtualAssistant3Distance,        InteractiveVirtualAssistant4Distance}    -   InteractiveVirtualAssistant1Distance=|HourglassC−InteractiveVirtualAssistant1ConMed|+|HourglassN−InteractiveVirtualAssistant1NeurMed|+|HourglassE−InteractiveVirtualAssistant1ExtraMed|    -   InteractiveVirtualAssistant2Distance=|HourglassC−InteractiveVirtualAssistant2ConMed|+|HourglassN−InteractiveVirtualAssistant2NeurMed|+|HourglassE−InteractiveVirtualAssistant2ExtraMed|    -   InteractiveVirtualAssistant3Distance=|HourglassC−InteractiveVirtualAssistant3ConMed|+|HourglassN−InteractiveVirtualAssistant3NeurMed|+|HourglassE−InteractiveVirtualAssistant3ExtraMed|    -   InteractiveVirtualAssistant4Distance=|HourglassC−InteractiveVirtualAssistant4ConMed|+|HourglassN−InteractiveVirtualAssistant4NeurMed|+|HourglassE−InteractiveVirtualAssistant4ExtraMed|    -   |n|=the absolute value of n    -   HourGlasssC=score corresponding to an interactive graphical        psychometric test related to conscientiousness    -   HourGlassE=score corresponding to an interactive graphical        psychometric test related to extraversion    -   HourGlassN=score corresponding to an interactive graphical        psychometric test related to neuroticism    -   InteractiveVirtualAssistant1ConMed=population median score        corresponding to an interactive graphical psychometric test        related conscientiousness for those assigned to cluster 1    -   InteractiveVirtualAssistant2ConMed=population median score        corresponding to an interactive graphical psychometric test        related conscientiousness for those assigned to cluster 2    -   InteractiveVirtualAssistant3ConMed=population median score        corresponding to an interactive graphical psychometric test        related conscientiousness for those assigned to cluster 3    -   InteractiveVirtualAssistant4ConMed=population median score        corresponding to an interactive graphical psychometric test        related conscientiousness for those assigned to cluster 4    -   InteractiveVirtualAssistant1ExtraMed=population median score        corresponding to an interactive graphical psychometric test        related extraversion for those assigned to cluster 1    -   InteractiveVirtualAssistant2ExtraMed=population median score        corresponding to an interactive graphical psychometric test        related extraversion for those assigned to cluster 2    -   InteractiveVirtualAssistant3ExtraMed=population median score        corresponding to an interactive graphical psychometric test        related extraversion for those assigned to cluster 3    -   InteractiveVirtualAssistant4ExtraMed=population median score        corresponding to an interactive graphical psychometric test        related extraversion for those assigned to cluster 4    -   InteractiveVirtualAssistant1NeurMed=population median score        corresponding to an interactive graphical psychometric test        related neuroticism for those assigned to cluster 1    -   InteractiveVirtualAssistant2NeurMed=population median score        corresponding to an interactive graphical psychometric test        related neuroticism for those assigned to cluster 2    -   InteractiveVirtualAssistant3NeurMed=population median score        corresponding to an interactive graphical psychometric test        related neuroticism for those assigned to cluster 3    -   InteractiveVirtualAssistant4NeurMed=population median score        corresponding to an interactive graphical psychometric test        related neuroticism for those assigned to cluster 4

Referring also to FIG. 6 and in some implementations, a firstinteractive virtual assistant of the plurality of interactive virtualassistants, e.g., interactive virtual assistant 600, may be provided 202to users reporting low levels of conscientiousness, high levels ofneuroticism, and high levels of extraversion. To best fit thepersonalities of this group of users and provide welcome interactions,this interactive virtual assistant 600 may be given a personality thatis described as encouraging, warm, strong, and stable. Interactivevirtual assistant 600 may be non-judgmental, may set directexpectations, and/or may maintain a fun attitude with the user.

Interactive virtual assistant 602 may be provided 202 to users reportingneutral levels of conscientiousness, low levels of neuroticism, and highlevels of extraversion. To most effectively interact with this group ofusers, interactive virtual assistant 602 may be given characteristics ofbeing witty, motivational, informative, skeptical, and/ornon-manipulative. This interactive virtual assistant 602 may have arelaxed attitude for a relaxed set of users.

In some embodiments, interactive virtual assistant 604 may be provided202 to users reporting neutral levels of conscientiousness, high levelsof neuroticism, and low levels of extraversion. This is a reserved yetanxious set of users, which is why interactive virtual assistant 604 maybe given a personality that is calm, peaceful, accepting, andnon-judgmental. This interactive virtual assistant 604 may not be pushywith advice, may focuses more on positive feedback than pointing outareas in need of improvement, and/or may approach the user with patienceand understanding.

Interactive virtual assistant 606 is assigned to users reporting highlevels of conscientiousness, mid to low levels of neuroticism, and midto low levels of extraversion. Users who are provided 202 interactivevirtual assistant 606 by interactive virtual assistant process 10 may bewell informed and appreciate a traditional style of financial advisor,which is why interactive virtual assistant 606 may be informative,clear, and dependable, while occasionally being fun and surprising.Interactive virtual assistant 606 may get straight to the facts without“sugar coating” information and may focus more on areas in need ofimprovement than on praise. While four interactive virtual assistantshave been described, it will be appreciated that any number ofinteractive virtual assistants are possible within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

In some implementations, interactive virtual assistant process 10 mayprompt 204 the user, via the interactive virtual assistant, with one ormore options. For example, interactive virtual assistants provided 202by interactive virtual assistant process 10 may be configured with theability to react to user behavior based upon, at least in part, adynamic conversational algorithm in order to prompt 204 the user orotherwise provide the user with personalized options. For example, anyconversation that the user is engaged in may be compared to the previousengagement in the same conversation. Base levels and delta scores may becalculated for any quantitative behavioral or financial value that isdiscussed in the conversation. Base levels and delta scores may dictatethe tenor of the interactive virtual assistant response. The base levelmay generally refer to where the user's score falls within the fullrange of possible scores. The delta may be calculated by the change inbase level from the previous conversation to the present conversation.Positive delta scores may result in a congratulatory response from theinteractive virtual assistant, negative scores may result in asupportive challenge from the interactive virtual assistant, and scoresof zero (or no change), may result in a neutral response from theinteractive virtual assistant. The current base level may also beaccounted for in the response of the interactive virtual assistant, as asmall negative delta from an already high base level score is likely abit less negative for a user than a slight increase in delta on a verylow base level score. Thus base level responses and delta responses maybe two contributing components to interactive virtual assistantresponses.

In some implementations, responses of an interactive virtual assistantmay be organized into no fewer than e.g., five levels for delta scores,including, large improvement, small improvement, no change, smallset-back, and large set-back. While five delta score levels have beendescribed, it will be appreciated that any number of levels of deltascores is possible and within the scope of the present disclosure.Similarly, base level responses may be organized into e.g., five levels,very high, high, mid, low, and very low. In some implementations, theorganization of base level responses may be referred to as buckets.Buckets may be assigned based on quantile levels of either the user'shistoric data or segment population data, whichever is relevant in thegiven conversation. Interactive virtual assistant responses may beautomated, where the response level selected may be determined by thecorresponding delta and base level score calculations.

In order to ensure that conversations do not become repetitive,interactive virtual assistant process 10 may include an input-taggingsystem. Input tagging may occur when words or phrases in a sentence aremade replaceable by a bin of selected words or phrases that can be usedin their place. For example, the word “Hello” can be replaced by aselection from an array of options including, “Hi”, “Howdy”, “Heythere”, “How's it going”, or “What's up”. Below is an example paragraphusing the input-tagging system of interactive virtual assistant process10.

(Overall Reaction) (#1 Happy Spend) (#2 Happy Spend) (#3 Happy Spend)(#4 Happy Spend) (#5 Happy Spend).

Results Paragraph—Variables

$size_large $movement_noun in the Top 5 Happy Spends $time_week, $name.$number_one_reaction. $number_one_company at #1 $again with$number_one_happy_spends happy_spends $time_week_blanks. $fun_fact.$number_two_last_week_movement, $number_two_company is the #2 happyspend $time_week_blanks with $number_two_happy_spends. Then$number_three_company $number_two_last_week_movement to #3 with$number_three_happy_spends. And with $number_four_happy_spends,$number_four_fun_fact, $number_four_company $arrives at #4.$number_five_intro, $number_five_company with $number_five_happy_spends,$number_five_fun_fact.

Results Paragraph—Single Written Example

“A lot of movement in the Top 5 happy spends this week, Clara. No changeat the top, though. Starbucks is #1 again with 4,576 happy spends. Thisis their 5th week in a row on top. Three more weeks and they will breakTarget's 8-week record from summer 2011. Up two spots from #4 last week,Target is the #2 this week with 3,879 happy spends. Then Amazon fallsone spot from last week to #3 with 2,876. And with 2,111 happy spends,an all-time high, iTunes comes in at #4. Rounding out the top 5, isCostco with 1,743.”

As can be seen from at least the above example paragraphs and in someimplementations, interactive virtual assistant process 10 may provide202 an interactive virtual assistant configured to prompt 204 the userwith one or more personalized options based upon, at least in part,feedback from the user. In this way, interactive virtual assistantprocess 10 may generate one or more prompts based upon, at least inpart, configurable prompt variables. In some implementations, theseconfigurable prompt variables may be based upon, at least in part,psychometric data defined 200 for a user. For example, based on thepersonality outcomes assigned 208 to the user, interactive virtualassistant process 10 may adjust the configurable prompt variables toinclude one or more phrases or expressions that are specific to eachpersonality outcome.

For example, an interactive virtual assistant may be configured toprovide advice to a particularly sensitive user differently than a lesssensitive user. Additionally, an interactive virtual assistant mayrespond to a user using “emojis” or other ideograms when the user'spersonality has been defined to respond favorably to more friendly andmore fun interactions. In some implementations, interactive virtualassistant process 10 may generate dynamic prompts for the interactivevirtual assistants that are customized to a user based on historicalfeedback from the user and/or defined for various personality types. Insome implementations, certain interactive virtual assistants may beconfigured to provide more prompts than other interactive virtualassistants. For example, a first interactive virtual assistant may beconfigured to respond well to users who are more serious. In thisexample, interactive virtual assistant process 10 may provide the firstinteractive virtual assistant with shorter, more specific prompts. Inanother example, a second interactive virtual assistant may beconfigured to respond well to users who are more free-spirited or lessserious. In this example, interactive virtual assistant process 10 mayprovide the second interactive virtual assistant with longer, moreconversational prompts. It will be appreciated that interactive virtualassistant process 10 may configure the interactive virtual assistants invarious ways based upon, at least in part, the psychometric data defined200 for a user.

In some implementations, interactive virtual assistant process 10 mayconfigure the prompts of the interactive virtual assistant based upon,at least in part, one or more machine learning algorithms. For example,with more experience from users interacting with various interactivevirtual assistants, interactive virtual assistant process 10 may providethis data to one or more machine learning algorithms to predict whichprompts, phrases, frequencies of contact, etc. will be best received byvarious users with various psychometric traits. In this way, interactivevirtual assistant process 10 may provide an interactive virtualassistant that dynamically responds to a user individually and to usersgenerally based on their psychometric traits.

In some implementations and as discussed above, the interactive virtualassistant may be configured to prompt the user with the one or morefinancial options via an interactive electronic communication sessiondisplayed in a user interface of the computing device. In someimplementations, interactive virtual assistant process 10 may receiveone or more questions, comments, or other input from a user in aninteractive electronic communication session displayed in a userinterface. For example, a user of a mobile device (e.g., clientelectronic device 42) may initiate an interactive electroniccommunication session via interactive virtual assistant process 10. Insome implementations, interactive virtual assistant process 10 mayprovide 202 an interactive virtual assistant to user (as discussedabove). In some implementations, the user may request information (e.g.,by providing a question in the interactive electronic communicationsession) from the interactive virtual assistant. In some implementationsand as will be discussed in greater detail below, the interactivevirtual assistant may prompt 206 the user with one or more options basedupon, at least in part, the defined psychometric data.

In some implementations, prompting 204 the user, via the interactivevirtual assistant, with one or more options may include prompting 212the user with one or more financial savings options. For example,embodiments of interactive virtual assistant process 10 may assist usersin developing a habit around saving money to reduce levels of stress andincrease feelings of security. In some implementations and referringalso to FIG. 7, interactive virtual assistant process 10 may prompt 212a user with one or more financial savings options (e.g., financialsavings option 700) via the interactive virtual assistant (e.g.,interactive virtual assistant 702). In some implementations, interactivevirtual assistant process 10, via the interactive virtual assistant, mayprompt the user with a daily savings amount and in response to which,the user may opt-in to savings by clicking the opt-in option (e.g., oropt-out by selecting the option to denote opting-out. The user is put incontrol of opting-in or out of the savings suggestion each day in orderto enhance engagement with finances and to promote habit formationaround saving money. Embodiments of the present disclosure may allow auser to have the sense that taking action is allowing for greatercontrol over financial outcomes. For example, a user may select a “Go”feature (e.g., button 704) to opt-in to the financial savings option ora user may select a “No” feature (e.g., button 706) to opt-out of thefinancial savings option. While two buttons have been presented, it willbe appreciated that other modalities for opting in or out of thefinancial savings options are possible such a voice command from theuser or a text-based response in an electronic communication sessionwith the interactive virtual assistant.

In some implementations, interactive virtual assistant process 10 maygenerate the one or more financial savings options by prompting the userfor certain financial information. For example, interactive virtualassistant process 10 may prompt a user to report their net annual incomeor income after paying taxes for the year. Interactive virtual assistantprocess 10 may prompt users to report how much money is spent on housingpayments each month. In order to view purchase transactions, interactivevirtual assistant process 10 may request user permission to link to allactive bank accounts and credit card accounts, providing all relevanttransaction data necessary for the calculation of availablediscretionary income and the total amount spent on recurring payments orbills each month.

In some implementations, interactive virtual assistant process 10 maycalculate the sum of recurring payments for the last e.g., thirty days.To achieve this, the user's full transaction stream is considered. Thetransaction description related to the recurring payment may haveoccurred at a minimum of e.g., three times in the transaction history. Atransaction is defined as a recurring payment if it reaches a criteriaof having a frequency stability score of less than the threshold valueof e.g., 0.25, a stable score in this case is closer to zero whilelarger scores are more unstable across time. The frequency stabilityscore may be calculated by interactive virtual assistant process 10using an interquartile range mean ratio, meaning that the average time,in days, between the purchases occurring at frequencies within the e.g.,20th and e.g., 80th percentile frequencies is divided by the number ofdays since the last purchase or payment matching the transactiondescription. The thirty day window may ensure a moving average that ismost current for each recurring payment made.

In some implementations, a user's current available discretionary incomeamount may be calculated by interactive virtual assistant process 10 bysubtracting reported housing pay, the sum of all recurring payments forthe past e.g., thirty days divided by the number days in the paymentperiod and the user's current cumulative payment period spend amountfrom the user's calculated income if available, and reported income ifnot available. The cumulative payment period spend amount may becalculated by interactive virtual assistant process 10 by the sum of alltransactions in the current pay period after filtering any transactionflagged as a recurring payment, a house payment, a transfer, or a creditto the user's account.

Following the calculation of current available discretionary income,interactive virtual assistant process 10 may divide that total by thenumber of days remaining in the user's pay period and multiplied by asmall percentage to calculate the daily safe-to-save dollar amount. Thepercentage multiplier is used to ensure that money is still availablefollowing opting-in to the daily savings option. Initially, thepercentage is set to e.g., 3% of available discretionary income dividedby the current week in the month, but is open to the user's adjustmentfollowing an initial exposure period. In some implementations, a usermay adjust the percentage via a user interface. Percentages may increasefor those who want to be more aggressive in their savings, and maydecrease for those wishing to be more conservative. Taking thepercentage from the calculated available discretionary income may ensurethat users will not save more than they have available.

With use of the above described process for calculating a dailysafe-to-save dollar amount, the suggested amount as determined byinteractive virtual assistant process 10 may vary from day to day basedon the amount of spending the user engaged in during the previous day.High levels of spending may result in a lower financial savings option,while low levels of spending may increase the financial savings option.

In some implementations, the user may be protected from saving moneythat is unavailable, as any calculation resulting in an output of zeroor a negative amount will represent a value denoting insufficient fundsto meet current expenses and thus no savings amount will be provided viathe interactive virtual assistant. To address potential user errors orerrors in the execution of interactive virtual assistant process 10, auser who receives a $0 savings suggestion will be prompted 204 by theinteractive virtual assistant to check their reported income and housingpayment, and to verify that all bank and credit card accounts areproperly linked to ensure accurate calculations.

The one or more financial savings options may be calculated as shownbelow:

Financial Savings OptionValue=(CurrentDiscretionaryIncome/DaysRemainingInPayPeriod)*CurrentSavingPercentage

Where

-   -   CurrentDiscretionaryIncome=(CalculatedMonthlyIncome/AvgPaymentsPerMonth        or        StatedAnnualIncome/12)−StatedHousingPayment−RecurringBills30Days−CurrentPayPeriodDiscretionary        Spend DaysRemainingInPayPeriod=The number of days remaining in        the current month    -   CurrentSavingPercentage=Set initially at 3% but open to        adjustment after initial exposure period    -   CalculatedMonthlyIncome=Sum of income payments in the last 30        days    -   AvgPaymentsPerMonth=The number of payments the user receives per        month (yearly payments/12)    -   StatedAnnualIncome=User reported income    -   StatedHousingPayment=User reported housing payment    -   RecurringBills30Days=Sum of recurring payments in the last 30        days CurrentPayPeriodMonthlyDiscretionarySpend=Sum of all        transaction debit amounts after filtering recurring payments,        housing payments, and transfers

In some implementations and referring also to FIG. 8, prompting 204 theuser, via the interactive virtual assistant, with one or more optionsmay include prompting 214 the user to rate one or more financialtransactions. For example, one or more transactions available in auser's transaction history may be provided by interactive virtualassistant process 10, via the interactive virtual assistant (e.g.,interactive virtual assistant 800), for rating with an emotional spendannotation. In some implementations, a user may be prompted 214 by theinteractive virtual assistant to reflect upon one or more recenttransactions or purchases (e.g., prompt 802) and if the purchase wasdeemed satisfying (i.e., does the transaction make the user more happy),select a first emotional annotation (e.g., selection of a green smilingface button 804). If a given purchase leads to feelings of remorse orregret (i.e., does the transaction make the user more sad), a selectionof a second emotional annotation may be received (e.g., selection of ared sad face button 806). In this manner, a user may, via interactivevirtual assistant process 10, provide an emotional rating relative totheir transactions. While two example emotional annotations have beenprovided, it will be appreciated that any number of emotionalannotations and scales of emotional responses may be provided for userfeedback. For example, a user may be prompted 214 by the interactivevirtual assistant to reflect upon one or more recent transactions orpurchases (e.g., prompt 802) and if the purchase was deemed to be amaterial transactions, select an emotional annotation associated withmaterial purchases and/or if a given transaction was experiential, aselection of an emotional annotation associated with experientialtransactions may be received. In some implementations, a user may beprompted 214 by the interactive virtual assistant to reflect upon one ormore recent transactions or purchases (e.g., prompt 802) and if thetransactions was made for the user, select an emotional annotationassociated with transactions made for the user and/or if a giventransactions was made for another individual, a selection of anemotional annotation associated with transactions for others may bereceived.

In some implementations, a user may be prompted 214 by the interactivevirtual assistant to reflect upon one or more recent transactions orpurchases (e.g., prompt 802) and if the transactions was a habitualtransaction, select an emotional annotation associated with habitualtransactions and/or if a given transaction was a non-habitualtransaction (i.e., a “special treat”), a selection of an emotionalannotation associated with non-habitual transactions may be received. Insome implementations, the user may be prompted 214 to rate one or moretransactions to rate the transaction as being a transaction made forcurrent or immediate purposes (i.e., a transaction made for now and notdirectly related to the future) and/or to rate the transaction as beingmade for the future (e.g., an investment). As discussed above,interactive virtual assistant process 10 may prompt the user to rate theone or more transactions with an emotional annotation associated withtransactions made for now and an emotional annotation associated withtransactions made for the future. In some implementations, the user maybe prompted 214 by interactive virtual assistant process 10, via theinteractive virtual assistant, to rate one or more transactions as atime saving purchase or a non-time saving purchase. For example, thepurchase of e.g., a robotic vacuum may be a transaction that would savetime relative to using other manual vacuums. As discussed above,interactive virtual assistant process 10 may prompt the user to ratethese transactions with one or more emotional annotations. While buttonshave been discussed as examples of emotional annotations, it will beappreciated that other forms of user selection or input may be usedwithin the scope of the present disclosure to emotionally annotate oneor more transactions via interactive virtual assistant process 10.

In some implementations, prompting 214 the user to rate one or morefinancial transactions may include prompting the user to associate theone or more financial transactions with one or more categories. Forexample, interactive virtual assistant process 10 may prompt the user,via the interactive virtual assistant (e.g., interactive virtualassistant 800) to associate the financial transaction with one or morecategories. In some implementations, the categories may be pre-definedcategories and/or may be defined by a user when associating thefinancial transaction to a newly defined category. In someimplementations, associating the financial transaction with a categorymay include tagging the financial transaction with the category. In someimplementations, interactive virtual assistant process may utilize thesecategories to provide insights to the user regarding their spendinghabits.

In some implementations, emotional ratings may be used to categorizetransactions into categories that are meaningful and relevant to theuser on an individual level. This form of categorization has anadvantage over typical spend categorization labels created by thirdparty transaction data platforms or by in-house transaction descriptiondriven categorization algorithms in that the user himself/herself isresponsible for the categorization which leads to fewer doubts ofcategorization accuracy or authenticity. It has the added advantage ofengaging the user with purchase decisions after the purchase has beenmade to reflect upon said purchase and gather insight about whether asimilar purchase should be made in the future.

In some implementations, the one or more rated transactions may beemployed by interactive virtual assistant process 10 to drive insightsdelivered by interactive virtual assistant in e.g., chat dialogues orother electronic communication sessions. These insights may be made on apurely individual level, as well as aggregate levels including, but notlimited to, all users of interactive virtual assistant process 10 and/orall members with the same psychometric traits (as discussed above).Insights created on the individual level and provided by the interactivevirtual assistant may give the user a better understanding of howpurchases make him/her feel and will allow for enhanced futureassessments of the emotional response that is likely to follow a currentpurchase. Aggregated insights provided by the interactive virtualassistant may give the user ideas of what types of purchases are leadingto happiness for other Joy members or those in a similar cohort to theuser. Aggregated insights include, but are not limited to a number oftop locations leading to positive or happy ratings among users (e.g.,top five), a number of top locations leading to negative or sad ratingsamong users (e.g., top five), a number of top locations leading topositive or happy ratings among users belonging to the same personalitygroup, and/or a number of top locations leading to negative or sadratings among users belonging to the same personality group. In someimplementations, other groupings may be used to provide aggregatedinsights, such as users of the same gender, user of the same or similarage (e.g., within a predefined threshold), users within a predefineddistance of each other, etc. It will be appreciated various groups ofusers may be used to compare users. It will also be appreciated thatvarious insights may be provided to the user based upon, at least inpart, the emotional annotations provided by the user to rate the one ormore transactions.

In some implementations, rankings can be given across any time periodincluding, but not limited to, daily ratings, weekly ratings, monthlyratings, and all time ratings. Ratings will be stored for eachindividual user and may be reintroduced by the interactive virtualassistant following a specified time period for further reflection andreassessment of the purchase.

In some implementations, prompting 204 the user, via the interactivevirtual assistant, with one or more options may include prompting 216the user with one or more financial services options. For example,interactive virtual assistant process 10 may prompt the user withoptions for financial services such as, but not limited to, loans,insurance plans, investments, stocks, bonds, or financial instruments.For example, interactive virtual assistant process 10 may conduct one ormore interactive electronic communication sessions, via the interactivevirtual assistant, with the user. The user may share with theinteractive virtual assistant plans or dreams of purchasing a new home.In response to this communication and based upon, at least in part,personality outcomes assigned 208 to the user, interactive virtualassistant process 10 may prompt 216 the user with one or more financialservices options (i.e., a loan for a new home). For example and as shownin FIG. 4, certain personality outcomes may be more or less susceptibleto financial difficulties. As such, interactive virtual assistantprocess 10 may filter one or more candidate financial services optionsfrom a plurality of available financial services. In someimplementations, interactive virtual assistant process 10 may receive alist or otherwise communicate with a database of available financialservices options. While a loan has been discussed, it will beappreciated that interactive virtual assistant process 10 may prompt 216the user with various other financial services options.

In some implementations, prompting 204 the user, via the interactivevirtual assistant, with one or more options may include prompting 218the user with one or more recommendations to help alleviate financialstress. In some implementations, interactive virtual assistant process10 may prompt 218 the user with one or more recommendations to helpalleviate financial stress and contribute to a user's overall happinessand well-being. For example and in some implementations, interactivevirtual assistant process 10 may generate an assessment of financialstress levels to determine levels of financial stress experienced byindividual users to prompt 218 the user with one or more recommendationsand treatment options to help alleviate experienced stress related tofinancial conditions. In some implementations, the assessment generatedby interactive virtual assistant process 10 may generally be referred toas the Assessment of Financially Induced Stress (AFiS). For example,this assessment may be modeled after the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), which is provided in FIG. 10,as research conducted by the Applicant indicated that stress related tofinancial troubles resulted in a manifestation of symptoms similar tothose experienced as a result of posttraumatic stress. In order to adaptthe PCL-C to assess financially induced stress, items of the PCL-C maybe reworded to include the word “financial” whenever experiences werediscussed. In some implementations of the administration of the PCL-C,users are instructed to respond with an “X” to mark the degree to whichthey have “been bothered by that problem in the past month.”Participants are then given five discrete response choices, including,“not at all,” “a little bit,” “moderately,” “quite a bit,” and“extremely.”

The response choices provided in the AFiS by interactive virtualassistant process 10 may be identical to those provided in the PCL-C, asseen in FIG. 10. In contrast to the PCL-C which includes 17 items, theAFiS provided by interactive virtual assistant process 10 may includee.g., six items, which may be the least number of items deemedacceptable to assess the three symptom subscales of the assessmentwithout losing statistical reliability below a commonly acceptedCronbach's alpha threshold. To reduce the items, a factor analysis maybe conducted and the highest loading items among the three symptomsubscales of thoughts, behaviors, and emotions, may be selected. Thisitem reduction technique has the added advantage of reducing theassessment time for the user without losing reliability of the measure.In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a total of four nation-widesurveys conducted by a third party polling company with a sample size ofover 9,000 participants was utilized to validate the measure.

It should be recognized that a greater number of items and/or differentcombination of PCL-C-based items (or similar items based on a non-PCL-Csource) may be used in the AFiS, and variations on the scoring describedbelow may be used, in practicing the invention described herein.

Scoring of the AFiS may, for example, also be done in a fashion similarto the scoring of the PCL-C. A sum score of the responses to each itemmay be added up to get a general sense of stress level experienced inthe past month, or sums may be calculated within each subscale todetermine individual contributions of the thoughts subscale, theemotions subscale, and the behaviors to overall stress levels. Values ofresponses may be scored as follows: “Not at all”=1; “A little bit”=2;“Moderately”=3; “Quite a bit”=4; “Extremely”=5.

In order to reach diagnostic criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD, a subjectmay endorse symptomatic levels, meaning a rating score of three or abovefor at least one item of the five items composing the thoughts subscale,three items from the seven items possible in the emotions subscale andat least two items of the five possible items related to the behaviorsscale. Scoring of the AFiS may be kept conservative with requirements ofone out of the two items of the thoughts scale, two out of the two itemsof the emotions scale, and two of the two items of the behaviors scaleneeded to reach diagnostic criteria.

Below are some examples of items of the AFiS categorized by subscale.

-   -   Thoughts Subscale Item 1=In the past month, to what degree have        you felt very upset when something reminded you of a stressful        financial experience from the past?    -   Thoughts Subscale Item 2=In the past month, to what degree have        you suddenly acted or felt as if a stressful financial        experience was happening again, as if you were reliving it?    -   Emotions Subscale Item 1=In the past month, to what degree have        you felt a loss of interest in things that you used to enjoy        because of your financial situation?    -   Emotions Subscale Item 2=In the past month, to what degree has a        financial situation made you feel distant or cut off from other        people?    -   Behaviors Subscale Item 1=In the past month, to what degree have        you had difficulty concentrating because of your financial        situation?    -   Behaviors Subscale Item 2=In the past month, to what degree have        you felt irritable or had angry outbursts because of your        financial situation?

The diagnostic condition has been labeled Acute Financial Stress and isconsidered the financially induced equivalent of PTSD. It should be madeclear that this diagnosis is not included in the current DiagnosticStatistical Manual used by clinicians, but that the Applicant urges thediagnostic consideration of financially induced stress. For example,approximately 23% of Americans suffer from diagnostic levels of AcuteFinancial Stress according to the four nation-wide surveys conducted bythe third party polling company.

In response to the assessment provided by interactive virtual assistantprocess 10, a user experiencing symptoms of financially induced stressmay be prompted 218 by the interactive virtual assistant with the optionof engaging in a series of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniquesdesigned to help reduce stress. The techniques may include, but are notlimited to: Negative Thought Replacement, Name it to Tame It,Progressive Relaxation, Telling Your Money Story, and MindfulnessExercises.

Negative Thought Replacement may be characterized by identifying commonnegative thoughts related to financial issues that the user experiences,then working to replace those thoughts with more positive and productivealternatives.

When engaged in the Name It To Tame It technique, the first step mayinvolve asking the user to give a name to his/her feelings of financialstress, which helps the user identify it as an annoying factor inhis/her life and know when it is happening. The second step may involvethe user tracking where and when the financial stress impacts him/her.

Progressive Relaxation is a technique employed to reduce the physicalmanifestations of stress. Users are trained, by the interactive virtualassistant, in various progressive relaxation techniques in order combatthe unwanted stress caused by financial stress that is experienced indaily life.

When engaged in the Telling Your Money Story exercises, users are askedspecific questions about their past experiences with financial issues asa way to relieve the frustrations caused by repressed feelings. Sharingthe story can be therapeutic even if only shared with an interactivevirtual assistant.

Mindfulness Exercises may involve observing behaviors, thoughts, andemotions rather than reacting automatically to them. The exercises aregenerally characterized by being aware without trying to fix or changeanything. For example, users may be asked to engage in controlledbreathing exercises to reduce stress. These techniques have provenhelpful for many types of stress, which is why users are urged to engagein these exercises or something similar each day.

In this manner, interactive virtual assistant process 10 may prompt 218the user with one or more recommendations to help alleviate financialstress and contribute to a user's overall happiness and well-being. Forexample, by providing the recommendations as described above,interactive virtual assistant process 10 may help the user toappropriately identify and respond to financial stress and as such, helpincrease the user's overall feeling of happiness and well-being.

The AFS diagnosis may be calculated as shown below:

AFS Diagnosis=if (AFS_Thoughts1>=3 or AFS_Thoughts2>=3) and(AFS_Emotions1>=3 and AFS_Emotions2>=3) and (AFS_Behaviors1>=3 andAFS_Behaviors2>=3) then return “Positive” otherwise return “Negative”

where

-   -   AFS_Thoughts 1=Response value associated with user response to        the first Thoughts subscale item.    -   AFS_Thoughts2=Response value associated with user response to        the second Thoughts subscale item.    -   AFS_Emotions1=Response value associated with user response to        the first Emotions subscale item.    -   AFS_Emotions2=Response value associated with user response to        the second Emotions subscale item.    -   AFS_Behaviors1=Response value associated with user response to        the first Behaviors subscale item.    -   AFS_Behaviors2=Response value associated with user response to        the second Behaviors subscale item.

In some implementations, interactive virtual assistant process 10 mayprovide an assessment of an individual's locus of control (LOC) that maybe employed by interactive virtual assistant process 10 to understandthe degree to which the individual believes that he/she controls theevents in his/her life. Individuals who believe that they have ultimatecontrol over the events in their lives are said to have a high level ofinternal LOC. Those who believe that events in their lives are caused byinfluential others, luck or chance are said to have a high level ofexternal LOC. Levels of internal and external LOC have been associatedwith financial outcomes such as income, credit scores, and savingsbalances, according to research conducted by the Applicant through theadministration of a nation-wide survey through a third party nationalpolling company. For this reason, a financially relevant LOC scale wasdesigned and tested.

To enhance validity and reliability of the financial locus of control(FinLOC) scale, items from the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control(MHLOC) were reworded to give focus to events that are financial innature. For example, a MHLOC item that had been worded: “I am directlyresponsible for my condition getting better or worse.” Was then changedto: “I am directly responsible for my financial well-being.”

The response choices provided in the FinLOC scale are identical to thoseprovided in the MHLOC questionnaire. Users are given six discreteresponse choices, including, “Strongly Disagree,” “Disagree,” “SlightlyDisagree,” “Slightly Agree,” “Agree,” and “Strongly Agree.” In someimplementations, users may be prompted 218 simply to report the degreeto which they agree or disagree with the following statements.

While the MHLOC questionnaire includes a total of 54 items on threeforms, the FinLOC includes six items, which was the least number ofitems deemed acceptable to assess reliable measures of internal andexternal LOC without losing statistical reliability below a commonlyaccepted Cronbach's alpha threshold. To reduce the items, a factoranalysis was conducted and the highest loading items among the internaland external subscale were selected. This item reduction technique hasthe added advantage of reducing the assessment time for the user withoutlosing reliability of the measure. It should be noted that the MHLOCincludes two subscales related to an external LOC, including thePowerful Others subscale and the Chance subscale. However, key financialoutcomes were more strongly associated with the Chance subscale, so thePowerful Others subscale was dropped from the FinLOC to further reducethe length of the assessment thus reducing the strain on the user tocomplete the assessment.

It should be recognized that a greater number of items and/or differentcombination of MHLOC-based items (or similar items based on a non-MHLOCsource) may be used in the FinLOC, and variations on the scoringdescribed below may be used, in practicing the invention describedherein.

In some implementations, scoring of the FinLOC may be done in a fashionsimilar to the scoring of the MHLOC. A sum score of the responses tointernal and external questions are calculated to evaluate the strengthof contribution of each scale to the user's LOC. For example, values ofresponses may be scored by as follows: “Strongly Disagree”=1;“Disagree”=2; “Slightly Disagree”=3; “Slightly Agree”=4; “Agree”=5;“Strongly Agree”=6.

The internal and external subscales may be scored separately and havebeen relabeled to reflect the “Driver” score and the “Passenger” score,respectively. The Driver and Passenger labels have been created tocreate a more intuitive understanding of LOC for users. Someone with ahigh Driver score is said to have a strong internal LOC and believes tobe in control of the events shaping his/her financial life. In contrast,a user with a high Passenger score has a high external LOC and tends tobelieve that outside forces are controlling the events of his/herfinancial life.

Below are some example items of the FinLOC categorized by subscale:

Driver Subscale Item 1=I am directly responsible for my financialwell-being.Driver Subscale Item 2=Whatever goes wrong for me financially is my ownfault.Driver Subscale Item 3=My financial well-being depends on how well Itake care of my spending behavior.Passenger Subscale Item 1=It seems as though my financial health isgreatly influenced by accidental occurrences.Passenger Subscale Item 2=When I'm doing well financially, it's becauseI'm just plain lucky.Passenger Subscale Item 3=No matter what I do, I'm likely to havefinancial problems.

The Driver and Passenger scores associated with the FinLOC may becalculated by interactive virtual assistant process 10 as follows:

DriverScore=DriverItem1+DriverItem2+DriverItem3

PassengerScore=PassengerItem1+PassengerItem2+PassengerItem3

Where:

-   -   DriverItem1=The response value associated with the user's        response to the first item on the Driver subscale.    -   DriverItem2=The response value associated with the user's        response to the second item on the Driver subscale.    -   DriverItem3=The response value associated with the user's        response to the third item on the Driver subscale.    -   PassengerItem1=The response value associated with the user's        response to the first item on the Passenger subscale.    -   PassengerItem2=The response value associated with the user's        response to the second item on the Passenger subscale.    -   PassengerItem3=The response value associated with the user's        response to the third item on the Passenger subscale.

In some implementations, prompts provided by interactive virtualassistant process 10 may be based upon, at least in part, the financiallocus of control. For example, interactive virtual assistant process 10may prompt 204 the user with one or more options specific to the userbased upon, at least in part, the financial locus of control.

Referring also to the example implementation of FIG. 11, there is showna diagrammatic view of client electronic device 38. While clientelectronic device 38 is shown in this figure, this is for examplepurposes only and is not intended to be a limitation of this disclosure,as other configurations are possible. Additionally, any computing devicecapable of executing, in whole or in part, interactive virtual assistantprocess 10 may be substituted for client electronic device 38 (in wholeor in part) within FIG. 2, examples of which may include but are notlimited to computer 12 and/or one or more of client electronic devices40, 42, 44.

In some implementations, client electronic device 38 may include aprocessor (e.g., microprocessor 200) configured to, e.g., process dataand execute the above-noted code/instruction sets and subroutines.Microprocessor 1100 may be coupled via a storage adaptor to theabove-noted storage device(s) (e.g., storage device 30). An I/Ocontroller (e.g., I/O controller 1102) may be configured to couplemicroprocessor 1100 with various devices (e.g., via wired or wirelessconnection), such as keyboard 1106, pointing/selecting device (e.g.,touchpad, touchscreen, mouse 1108, etc.), custom device (e.g., device1115), USB ports, and printer ports. A display adaptor (e.g., displayadaptor 1110) may be configured to couple display 1112 (e.g.,touchscreen monitor(s), plasma, CRT, or LCD monitor(s), etc.) withmicroprocessor 200, while network controller/adaptor 1114 (e.g., anEthernet adaptor) may be configured to couple microprocessor 200 to theabove-noted network 14 (e.g., the Internet or a local area network).

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularimplementations only and is not intended to be limiting of thedisclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. As used herein, the language “at least one of A, B,and C” (and the like) should be interpreted as covering only A, only B,only C, or any combination of the three, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification,specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps (notnecessarily in a particular order), operations, elements, and/orcomponents, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, integers, steps (not necessarily in a particular order),operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents (e.g., ofall means or step plus function elements) that may be in the claimsbelow are intended to include any structure, material, or act forperforming the function in combination with other claimed elements asspecifically claimed. The description of the present disclosure has beenpresented for purposes of illustration and description, but is notintended to be exhaustive or limited to the disclosure in the formdisclosed. Many modifications, variations, substitutions, and anycombinations thereof will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in theart without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. Theimplementation(s) were chosen and described in order to explain theprinciples of the disclosure and the practical application, and toenable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the disclosurefor various implementation(s) with various modifications and/or anycombinations of implementation(s) as are suited to the particular usecontemplated.

Having thus described the disclosure of the present application indetail and by reference to implementation(s) thereof, it will beapparent that modifications, variations, and any combinations ofimplementation(s) (including any modifications, variations,substitutions, and combinations thereof) are possible without departingfrom the scope of the disclosure defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:defining, at a computing device, psychometric data for a user; providingan interactive virtual assistant, selected from a plurality ofinteractive virtual assistants, on the computing device based upon, atleast in part, the psychometric data defined for the user; and promptingthe user, via the interactive virtual assistant, with one or moreoptions.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein definingthe psychometric data for the user includes: providing one or moreinteractive graphical psychometric tests in a user interface of thecomputing device.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, whereinthe one or more interactive graphical psychometric tests include one ormore slidable user interface features configured to move along acontinuous scale between two end points representative of a first levelof a psychometric trait and a second level of the psychometric trait. 4.The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:assigning a user to one or more personality outcomes based upon, atleast in part, the one or more interactive graphical psychometric testsprovided in the user interface of the computing device.
 5. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: selectingthe interactive virtual assistant, from the plurality of interactivevirtual assistants, for the user based upon, at least in part, thepsychometric data defined for the user.
 6. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein prompting the user, via the interactivevirtual assistant, with the one or more options includes one or more of:prompting the user to rate one or more financial transactions; promptingthe user with one or more financial savings options; prompting the userwith one or more financial services options; and prompting the user withone or more recommendations to help alleviate financial stress.
 7. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the interactive virtualassistant is configured to prompt the user with the one or morefinancial options via an interactive electronic communication sessiondisplayed in a user interface of the computing device.
 8. A computerprogram product residing on a computer readable storage medium having aplurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed across oneor more processors, causes at least a portion of the one or moreprocessors to perform operations comprising: defining psychometric datafor a user; providing an interactive virtual assistant, selected from aplurality of interactive virtual assistants, on a computing device basedupon, at least in part, the psychometric data defined for the user; andprompting the user, via the interactive virtual assistant, with one ormore options.
 9. The computer program product of claim 8 whereindefining the psychometric data for the user includes: providing one ormore interactive graphical psychometric tests in a user interface of thecomputing device.
 10. The computer program product of claim 9 whereinthe one or more interactive graphical psychometric tests include one ormore slidable user interface features configured to move along acontinuous scale between two end points representative of a first levelof a psychometric trait and a second level of the psychometric trait.11. The computer program product of claim 9 further comprising:assigning a user to one or more personality outcomes based upon, atleast in part, the one or more interactive graphical psychometric testsprovided in the user interface of the computing device.
 12. The computerprogram product of claim 8 further comprising: selecting the interactivevirtual assistant, from the plurality of interactive virtual assistants,for the user based upon, at least in part, the psychometric data definedfor the user.
 13. The computer program product of claim 8 whereinprompting the user, via the interactive virtual assistant, with the oneor more options includes one or more of: prompting the user to rate oneor more financial transactions; prompting the user with one or morefinancial savings options; prompting the user with one or more financialservices options; and prompting the user with one or morerecommendations to help alleviate financial stress.
 14. The computerprogram product of claim 8 wherein the interactive virtual assistant isconfigured to prompt the user with the one or more financial options viaan interactive electronic communication session displayed in a userinterface of the computing device.
 15. A computing system including oneor more processors and one or more memories configured to performoperations comprising: defining psychometric data for a user; providingan interactive virtual assistant, selected from a plurality ofinteractive virtual assistants, on the computing system based upon, atleast in part, the psychometric data defined for the user; and promptingthe user, via the interactive virtual assistant, with one or moreoptions.
 16. The computing system of claim 15 wherein defining thepsychometric data for the user includes: providing one or moreinteractive graphical psychometric tests in a user interface of thecomputing system.
 17. The computing system of claim 16 wherein the oneor more interactive graphical psychometric tests include one or moreslidable user interface features configured to move along a continuousscale between two end points representative of a first level of apsychometric trait and a second level of the psychometric trait.
 18. Thecomputing system of claim 16 further comprising: assigning a user to oneor more personality outcomes based upon, at least in part, the one ormore interactive graphical psychometric tests provided in the userinterface of the computing system.
 19. The computing system of claim 15further comprising: selecting the interactive virtual assistant, fromthe plurality of interactive virtual assistants, for the user basedupon, at least in part, the psychometric data defined for the user. 20.The computing system of claim 15 wherein prompting the user, via theinteractive virtual assistant, with the one or more options includes oneor more of: prompting the user to rate one or more financialtransactions; prompting the user with one or more financial savingsoptions; prompting the user with one or more financial services options;and prompting the user with one or more recommendations to helpalleviate financial stress.